A hedgehog haircut that has been under 220 volts, 10 millions albums sold and hysteric crowds, then nothing, or almost… Years after their worldwide success, Tokio Hotel come back. Meeting with a phenomenon.

Teenage audience has a default: it grows up. And turns away very fast from those who they adored when they were younger. The group Tokio Hotel has paid the price for it. Between 2005 and 2010, the four young Germans, which include the Kaulitz twins, sold 10 million albums. Their piercings, tattoos, and improbable haircuts triggered the hysteria before they slowly sank into oblivion. Today, Tokio Hotel tries to rise again. A new album, Dream Machine, an European tour… Meeting in Berlin with survivors of the glory.

When looking back, how do you explain the success of Tokio Hotel?

Bill: Listen to the lyrics of our songs. They speak about loves that did not work out, drug, suicide… These themes disturb but speak to the teenagers a lot. Because being young is one of the most difficult things to live. I was depressed at this moment of my life. Going to school was like going at war.Tom: We quit school at 15. We did our hair how we wanted it, we dressed as we wanted… Our lifestyle was kind of a fantasy for all the rebel preteens.

Exactly, but have you never been afraid of depressing these young ears?

Bill: I have never wanted to write texts telling responsibilities, to tell my fans “that, it is bad, you should not do it”. It is maybe that, also, the key of our success: we did not take ourselves for primary school teachers.

What do you remember of those years?

Bill: It was incredible. I even heard that French fans chose to learn German at school to understand our songs! But there were many bad sides. We were hardly 16-17 years old and we could not leave our house in Hamburg without being collared by a troop of fans who followed us everywhere. We had to hire bodyguards who followed us 24 hours a day.

Isn’t being back to a normal life difficult after such a success?

Bill: We were completely overwhelmed by this madness. We did not have inspiration anymore to write music, we were not happy anymore… Then, in 2010, we decided to leave Germany to settle in the United States. Over there, we were not really known. It is what saved us.Tom: And then we began to redo normal things, like shopping, or taking the time to talk with people. It was as strange as it was amazing (laughs)!Bill: But I think that we abandoned our fans. Not the opposite. By leaving to the United States, but also by changing our style radically. Our last two albums have pop and electro tones. It is very far from what we used to make. In fact, it corresponds to the adults we are today. It is important that people buy our albums and come to see us in concert, but what dominates for us today, is making music that we like.

How do you feel these days?

Bill: Super good. During our concerts it is always this madness, but when walking on the street, nobody or almost nobody comes to annoy us. It is the perfect compromise. In these conditions, Tokio Hotel will never stop!

The new album Dream Machine will be available on March 3rd. Concert in Paris, at the Olympia, on March 21st.

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Hi! I’m Lauriane

I am the leader of Tokio Hotel's Official Canadian Fanclub. You can count on me to provide the latest information on Tokio Hotel.

This Fan Club was approved by Universal Music Canada in 2007.

If you have any problem, or have any question concerning the Fan Club or Tokio Hotel, it will be my pleasure to answer you as soon as I can! Just send me an e-mail (in English, French, German, Spanish or Italian) at thcanada.streetteam@gmail.com . I usually reply on the same day, or on the next day. It doesn't bother me if your question concerns something that happened in the past; I've been in this fandom since 2006 and I really hope I can help you.

If you are in Canada or in the United States and need more information, like a phone number or an address, please send me an e-mail at thcanada.streetteam@gmail.com and I will give you, if possible, my contact info.